April 28, 2007

Congratulations to the Camrose Kodiaks for winning the 2007 Doyle Cup. The Kodiaks scored two power play goals in the third period to erase Nanaimo's 2-1 lead and win their 4th Doyle Cup in the past 6 years. Joe Colborne scored the game-winner for the Kodiaks.

Michael Garman had a strong series for the Clippers, playing his best hockey against the second-ranked team in Canada. Michael gave up 2.02 goals per contest and stopped 93.43% of the Kodiaks' shots. A special nod to Michael and the Clipper defensive corp.

Congratulations to the Clippers for a terrific season. Nanaimo had an impressive playoff run as they played 29 games in 48 days -- that's almost an entire college season in 7 weeks. Nanaimo last won the Doyle Cup in 2004.

April 26, 2007

Nanaimo dropped a 2-0 decision to Camrose on Wednesday and now trails the Kodiaks 3-1 in the Doyle Cup series. Michael Garman played another strong game for the Clippers. Michael stopped 33 shots and was named one of the game's Stars, along with Camrose goalie, Allen York (Camrose awards 2 stars, in no order, for their games). Mike Devin went scoreless in the game, while Joe Devin did not play.

April 23, 2007

Camrose took control of the Doyle Cup by defeating Nanaimo 4-3 (OT) and 2-1 in games two and three this weekend. Michael Garman stopped 17 of 19 shots in game two, coming on in relief for Marc Cheverie (Denver), and stopped 23 shots in Sunday's game. Mike Devin went scoreless in the two games, while Joe Devin went scoreless in game three (Joe did not play in game two).

The series moves to Alberta for its remainder with game four being played on Wednesday.

April 21, 2007

Michael Garman stopped all 25 shots as Nanaimo opened the Doyle Cup with a 1-0 win over the Camrose Kodiaks on Friday night. Tyler Mazzei (RIT) scored the game's only goal early in the third period to give the Clippers a 1-0 series advantage. Mike Devin went scoreless and picked up a minor penalty in the game.

April 19, 2007

Mike Schafer confirmed in today's Ithaca Journal that Justin Milo will not be with the team in 2007-2008. Justin is a very talented young man and his absence will be unfortunate. Thank you, Justin, and best wishes in the future.

Cornell's roster is probably now set at 15 forwards, 8 defensmen, and 3 goalies.

April 18, 2007

Congratulations to Michael Garman for being named the BCHL's Star Player for the first two weeks of April. During that period, which covered the last three games of the Coastal Conference Finals and the BCHL Championship series, Michael played 9 games and had a 2.37 GAA and stopped 91.2% of the shots he faced. Michael was also awarded a game 1st-Star and two 2nd-Stars during that stretch of games.

April 17, 2007

Background: BRP's attempting to take a quasi-objective look at ECAC Hockey's incoming 2007 class. The process is pretty simple. Without going into too much detail, however, Central Scouting's list has been used to weigh the relative depth of various source leagues (junior, prep, and high school) and then players on Chris Heisenberg's list have been awarded bonus points (with the top half of each eligible league's list receiving more points than the lower half). Bonus points are additionally awarded for having been named to Central Scouting's watchlist or for having been drafted; there is also a minor deduction if one is dropped from the final list and has been previously awarded bonus points. Finally, bonus points have been (or will be) awarded for certain league-wide or conference-wide awards (MVP, ROTY, all-star teams, etc) -- though these are the smallest bonuses in use -- and for being named to INCH's top-positional players list. The goal is to calculate an average value per class (represented by each team's score) so that the effect of class size is somewhat mitigated.

There were some late additions to a couple of classes so the number of players has increased since the post-draft list.

ECACHockey

1) Harvard - Players, 7; Score, 119; Grade, A+

A very talented class across the board. There's a lot to be excited about...if one's a Crimson fan.Buzz: Michael Biega (5' 11", 180), 1989-born forward, Salisbury Prep. It was a little surprising that Biega was bypassed during this year's draft.NHL: Matt McCollem, #154 (St. Louis) in 2006.

2) Cornell - Players, 8; Score, 105; Grade A

Filled numerous roles with this class. A solid showing in British Columbia. Buzz: Riley Nash (6' 1", 175), 1989-born forward, Salmon Arm/BCHL. The top recruit in the ECAC this year.NHL: Riley Nash, #21 (Edmonton) in 2007.

3) Colgate - Players, 5; Score, 100; Grade, A

Class is probably as talented as Harvard's, just fewer of them.Buzz: Brian Day (6', 185), 1988-born forward, Governor Dummer Prep. Should make an impact early for the Raiders.NHL: Brian Day, #171 (New York Islanders) in 2006.

3) Dartmouth - Players, 9; Score, 100; Grade, A

Tied with Clarkson and RPI for the largest class. The Green did very, very, very well in Minnesota.Buzz: Joe Stejskal (6' 2", 190), 1988-born defenseman, Grand Rapids (MN) HS. One of three outstanding prospects from Minnesota.NHL: Joe Stejskal, #133 (Montreal) in 2007.

5) RPI - Players, 9; Score, 84; Grade, B

Joins Clarkson and Dartmouth with the league's biggest class. The good news in Troy is that Seth Appert can recruit. The bad news is that he may be coaching in the WCHA or CCHA before his first class has graduated.Buzz: Bryan Brutlag (6' 1", 190), 1989-born defenseman, Holy Angels (MN) Academy. Tied for the most assists in Minnesota prep play this year.

6) Clarkson - Players, 9; Score, 82; Grade B

Added a couple of players late which gave them the largest class, along with Dartmouth and RPI. Clarkson did very well in Ontario.Buzz: Scott Freeman (5' 11", 180), 1988-born forward, Bowmanville/OPJHL. Leading scorer in the OPJHL and divisional MVP.NHL: Bryan Rufenach, #208 (Detroit) in 2007.

6) Princeton - Players, 7; Score, 82; Grade, B

Did a nice job in the USHL. Also landed a pair of defensemen from one of Alberta's top teams, Fort Saskatchewan.Buzz: Cam Ritchie (6', 190), 1987-born defenseman, Fort Saskatchewan/AJHL. Averaged nearly a point per game for the high-scoring Traders.

Congratulations to the Nanaimo Clippers for winning the Fred Page Cup last night in Vernon. Tyler Mazzei (RIT) scored with 34 seconds remaining in the game to give the Clippers their second Cup in the last 4 years. Nanaimo had tied the game in the second period on a powerplay goal by Joe Bitz, brother of Byron Bitz, the 2006-2007 Big Red captain. Michael Garman had another strong outing for the Clippers, stopping 26 shots, including a 2-0 breakaway. Joe and Mike Devin were keep off the scoresheet for the evening.

Next up for Nanaimo is Camrose, the Alberta Junior Hockey League champs. The Clippers and Kodiaks will play for the Doyle Cup. Camrose spent much of the season ranked 1st on the Canadian Junior A Hockey Leagues' national list. Currently, Camrose is ranked 2nd and Nanaimo is ranked 6th. The series begins in Nanaimo on Friday.

April 15, 2007

Nanaimo returned home and defeated Vernon, 4-2, on Saturday to take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven series. Michael Garman was named the game's 2nd-Star as he stopped 17 shots and picked up an assist on Erick Belanger's (Ohis State) goal into an empty net that sealed the game. Mike Devin assisted on the Clippers' second goal, scored by Joe Bitz, which tied the game in the second period.

The Soo Indians scored 2 goals in the third period to pull out a 5-4 win over Sudbury on Saturday and win the NOJHL Championship series, four games to one. Jacob Johnston went scoreless in the season finale.

April 13, 2007

Vernon won both its home games to tie the best-of-seven championship series at 2-2. The Vipers were excellent in the second period of games three and four, scoring 5 of their 7 goals in the middle frame. The Vipers won game three, 4-3, and game four, 3-2. Michael Garman was in goal for both games and stopped 47 shots on the trip. Joe and Mike Devin went scoreless in the two games.

Jacob Johnston scored two goals to help Sudbury extend the NOJHL Championship to a fifth game, as the Junior Wolves defeated Soo 5-2 on Thursday. Jacob was awarded the game's 1st-Star for his performance.

April 12, 2007

Western College Hockey reported that Will Weber (6' 4"), a 1989-born defenseman at Gaylord (MI) HS, has committed to Miami (OH). Weber is the son of former Cornellian Dick Weber, who played with the Big Red in the mid-70s, and was awarded the Joe DeLibero/Stan Tsapis award twice for his dedication. Weber's dream school was Cornell, but the scholarship offered by the RedHawks was too much to refuse. The allure of Cady Arena was, perhaps, an additional enticement to Weber, who met with the University President in his suite during one of the Hawks' games. Weber was named to this year's Michigan Dream Team and was named to the academic all-state team. Weber is also expected to be selected during this year's NHL draft -- at least 8 NHL teams have scouted Weber this year.

April 10, 2007

Michael Garman(left) went head-to-head with the BCHL's hottest goalie, Nick Olynyk, and led the Clippers to a 2-1 double-overtime win last night in Nanaimo. Michael was named the game's 1st-Star after stopping 35 shots in over 83-minutes of play. Mike Devin picked up an assist on Kyle Ostrow's (Denver) goal in the first period. Vernon put 13 shots on goal in the second period, scoring their only goal on a short-handed opportunity midway through the period. Taylor Langford scored the game-winner, after Nanaimo outshot Vernon, 20-4, during the two overtime periods

April 9, 2007

Mike Devin assisted on Tyler Mazzei's (RIT) game-winning goal at 5:57 of the third period as Nanaimo won the first game of the BCHL Championship series, 4-3. Michael Garman stopped 19 shots to pick up the win for the Clippers. Joe Devin went scoreless on the evening.

Sean Ringrose (5' 10", 170), a 1988-born forward playing with the Fort Saskatchewan Traders in the Alberta Junior Hockey League has commited to the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers. Ringrose, the 4th-leading scorer in the AJHL, did visit Dartmouth and Yale before deciding on the Major Junior route.

April 8, 2007

Chris Heisenberg is reporting that Tyler Roeszler has committed to Cornell for 2007. Tyler (5' 7", 170), is a 1988-born center with Chatham, and was the WOHL's leading scorer this season with 42 goals and 71 assists in 48 regular season games. Tyler was named to the WOHL's 1st-Team All-Star squad and was the league's player-of-the-month in October.

It is believed that Tyler is the son of Geoff Roeszler, two-time All-Ivy selection, who played at Cornell for three years, after transferring from Penn. Geoff was a teammate of Doug Berk at Penn, and then both players transferred to Cornell after the Penn program was disolved. This would make the second committment this week from a player whose father transferred from Penn after the program was disbanded.

April 5, 2007

Nanaimo bounced back from an overtime loss in game five to defeat Cowichan Valley, 5-1, on Wednesday to capture the Coastal Conference Championship. Joe and Mike Devin assisted on Tyler Pistone's game-winning goal at 8:03 in the 2nd period. Michael Garman stopped 32 shots and was named the game's 2nd-Star.

Nanaimo will face Vernon in the BCHL Championship, which begins on Sunday in Nanaimo. Vernon's playoff run has been led by Hunter Bishop, who left North Dakota earlier this year, and Nick Olynyk, who's been fantastic in goal. Olynyk has 2 straight shutouts and hasn't given up a goal in nine of the last ten periods of play.

April 4, 2007

With three new commitments in the past two days (Riley Nash, Jordan Berk, and Dan Nicholls), Cornell's roster is now at a normal distribution of 15 forwards, 8 defensmen, and 3 goalies. It looks like the 2007 class is finalized. Well, at least for right now.

The Big Red would appear to be looking for 3 forwards, 1 defenseman, and 1 goalie for the class of 2008. At the low end, the class would probably take 6 (3-2-1), and could go higher pending unforseen departures. Hopefully, the class stays on the low end and everyone scheduled to be here remains here.

Dan Nicholls (6', 195), a 1988-born forward playing with Bowmanville (OPJHL) has committed to Cornell for 2007. Dan scored 4 goals and added 14 assists, to go along with 107 penalty minutes, in 47 games for the Eagles.

Bowmanville finished the regular season tied with Wellington for first place in the East Division, before falling to Kingston in the second round of the playoffs.

Jordan Berk (5' 11", 190), a 1988-born defenseman playing with Salmon Arm has committed to the Big Red for next fall. Jordan is ranked as the 12th-best defenseman on Chris Heisenberg's BCHL list. Jordan scored 8 goals and had 37 assists in 70 games for the Silverbacks this year, which was his first year in the BCHL. Jordan is from London, Ontario, and was a second-team All-Star in the WOHL last season, where he also led all defensemen in scoring.

It is believed that Jordan is the son of Doug Berk, who transferred to Cornell from Penn after the Quakers disbanded their hockey program in 1978.

April 3, 2007

Chris Heisenberg is reporting that Riley Nash (6' 1", 175), a 1989-born center, has committed to Cornell for 2007. Riley has had an incredible year playing with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in the BCHL. Riley finished 10th in the league in scoring, and was the only rookie to finish in the top-30 in the scoring race. In 66 games, Riley scored 42 goals and had 53 assists. Riley was named his team's MVP and Rookie of the Year, and was also named the BCHL's Interior Conference Rookie of the Year. Riley was a member of the Interior Conference All-Star team and was also a member of Team West in the CAJHL Prospects Game. Last fall, Riley was a member of the Canada West team which won gold at the 2006 World Junior A Challenge. Additionally, in 2006, Riley was a member of Team Pacific in the World U17 Championships, where he helped Team Pacific to a 4th-place finish. Heisenberg has Riley ranked as the 5th best prospect in the BCHL.

McKeen's has Riley ranked 49th on their 2007 draft list and raves about his talent. In December, McKeen's wrote that Riley "Possesses tremendous vision and reads the play at an elite level...[is] extremely mobile as he can turn on a dime... takes a hit to make a play and will finish his checks and is fairly effective at taking the body...displays good puck pursuit as well as terrific closing speed...doesn't hesitant to go into the dirty areas...boasts elite imagination in the offensive zone...likes to do a lot of timing plays with his linemates where he passes the puck even before the player has gotten open, but by the time the player does get open the puck has arrived...displays leadership and communicates well with teammates...delivers sharp, accurate passes and takes the pass smoothly...receives a ton of ice time including both special teams."

Another impressive report came from Hockey's Future, which wrote in a December review of top BCHL propects that "if a team is looking for the player most likely to play in the NHL at some point...Riley Nash is likely their man. He is the fastest rising player in the BCHL and an equally strong second half of the season could propel him into the upper reaches of the draft."

Riley selected Cornell over Denver, North Dakota, Michigan, and New Hampshire.

April 2, 2007

After splitting their two games in Nanaimo, the Clippers took to the road and defeated Cowichan Valley in games three and four by the scores of 4-3 and 5-3. Michael Garman was in goal for both games and stopped 49 shots in the two wins. Mike Devin scored a goal in game four and was awarded the game's 3rd-Star. Joe Devin went scoreless in the two games.

Sudbury defeated the Soo Thinderbirds in five games to advance to the championship series in the NOJHL. The Junior Wolves needed overtime to win game four, 4-3, with Jacob Johnston picking up an assist on J.F. Houle's goal that sent the game into OT. In game five, Sudbury scored the first four goals of the game and moved on with a comfortable win.

Sudbury will take on the winner of the Soo Indians and North Bay series.

April 1, 2007

This morning in New York, the NHL and the NCAA have announced that they have reached an agreement which will allow players who have never played NCAA hockey, and are within 4 years of the age at which their freshman matriculation would have occured, to be granted one year of eligibilty. The NHL is viewing this experiemental program as a means of generating goodwill, while the NCAA is ecstatic over of the opportunity to accelerate the expansion of their fanbase. NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman, said the decision was reached "out of a deep respect for the core values former student-athletes have brought to the professional level." Myles Brand, commissioner of the NCAA said that "this historic opportunity to energize on a national scale the great game that is NCAA hockey could not be allowed to pass." This agreement almost collapsed at the last minute due to some resistance on the part of the NHL to allow the rule to apply to individuals eligible as of the date of the ruling. The NHL had wanted the program to apply based upon eligibility as of the beginning of the 2007-2008 NHL season.

The final determination of eligibility could have a dramatic impact on next year's Cornell roster. Word has already leaked out that Los Angeles King, Dustin Brown, former schoolboy sensation at Ithaca High School is considering returning to Ithaca to skate with the Big Red for one season. Dustin, who at 22, is in his 3rd season with the Kings and has established season highs for both goals (16) and assists (26) this season. Dustin has long made it known that his only regret thus far in his career was never having had the opportunity to wear a Cornell sweater. Dustin has apparently already made contact with the coaching staff and the admissions office and the process seems to be going smoothly. Look for Dustin to be on-campus this fall.